Aegwynn
Aegwynn was the second-to-last Guardian of Tirisfal, and the mother of the sorcerer Medivh. Magna Aegwynn, Matriarch of Tirisfal, was one of the greatest Guardians of Tirisfal. The Order of Tirisfal was originally forged by the High Elves to secretly protect the world from demonic corruption of magic, hoping to avoid the folly of their ancestors. These Guardians were given considerable power and longevity. When the order was extended to humans after they too began to learn magic, it was kept as a secret Order amongst only the greatest magi. But over time, the Guardian became a puppet of the Order, and the focus was lost. The Guardian became a warden on all who practiced magic. When Aegwynn became the Guardian, however, she refused to be manipulated. She remained focused on the matter at hand - the demonic powers at play in Azeroth. But the same hubris that lead to the Guardian's diminishing caused their downfall. Biography Genesis Aegwynn was trained in magic by the Guardian, Magna Scavell. Aegwynn was the only girl among five apprentices. Most of the boys didn't treat her fairly, claiming that she couldn't become a wizard, but Aegwynn persevered. Before the end of her first year as an apprentice, she had mastered the lost incantations of the Meitre scrolls, the last surviving work of one of the powerful Highborne wizards from nine thousand years earlier (human mages were dissuaded from even reading the scrolls until well into their careers - even Quel'dorei couldn't read them until a decade into their apprenticeships). For this feat, she was chosen to succeed Scavell as Guardian of Tirisfal. Though her fellow (male) apprentices complained, the Council maintained that she was the best and the Guardian could not afford to be anything less. The elves on the Council at the time believed that as Aegwynn had faced greater challenges to become a mage than the others, she was most deserving - Erbag the Gnome chided the boys for their immaturity. Aegwynn was subsequently supplied with the power of the Tirisfalen, and began work immediately. One of Aegwynn's first challenges was the destruction of the demon Zmodlor, who had begun to possess children in a schoolhouse. Aegwynn rushed in and vanquished the demon before damage to the children could result. Erbag and Relfthra admonished her for her quick action - she rushed in without a thought to Zmodlor's grand scheme, and could have put the world at further risk. Aegwynn fired back that she couldn't allow children to suffer just because the Council favored a reactive solution to demons. Aegwynn vs. the Twisting Nether 500 years following her initial Guardianship, Aegwynn battled the source of the darkness: Sargeras himself, who came to Azeroth in an attempt to destroy the dragons and consume their powers. With the help of the dragons, Aegwynn defeated the Lord of the Legion, and trapped his physical form within the Tomb of Sargeras, so that it might never be rejuvenated by the powers of the Nether. Following the historic event, Aegwynn, by her own admission, grew arrogant and cocky. She felt she no longer needed to act in concert with the Council, that she had done the impossible, and thus she, not the Tirisfalen, would choose the next Guardian. But the Destroyer had manipulated her in a way that she could not perceive... The Birth of Medivh (778 years later; 70 years prior to World of Warcraft...) Though powerful, Aegwynn was at her core mortal and so knew that she would have to pass on her powers, lest the demons be given free reign of Azeroth. She was determined to prevent the council from manipulating her successor as they had continually tried to manipulate her. She chose the conjurer of Azeroth, Nielas Aran, to father her heir. Nielas was initially elated when it appeared the Guardian had fallen in love with him, but was slightly thrown to realize that she had used him only to sire an heir and take the choice of next Guardian away from the Council. Aegwynn gave birth to a son in the fall of that year, naming him Medivh, or "Keeper of Secrets" in the Elven tongue. Aegwynn left the baby Medivh in the care of his father at Stormwind Keep. She locked deep within him the knowledge of Tirisfal, to be made manifest when he reached physical maturity. When that time came however, the power of Tirisfal was too much for him to properly channel and the resulting backlash of magical energy pouring from the child killed Nielas and reduced Medivh to a comatose body. Medivh's Awakening Medivh awoke twenty years later, assuring the clergy of Northshire that he was in full control of his powers. Aegwynn suspected that something was amiss and her suspicions were confirmed when she watched, in shock, as Medivh made pacts with the Burning Legion and brought the Orcs to Azeroth. Aegwynn confronted Medivh, seeking to turn him from his chaotic course and to the Guardianship for which he was intended. When he refused her, she attempted to battle him but, having given all her power to him so long ago, she was defeated. It was then that Medivh revealed all to her. As he died in battle before her, Sargeras had spirited his essence into Aegwynn's own body, lying in wait like a cancer for her to conceive as he knew she would. Sargeras stitched himself into the fabric of Medivh's unborn body so that when he awoke and realized the power of Tirisfal he would also manifest his unholy, demonic heritage. Somehow unable to kill Aegwynn, he instead banished her from his sight. In a desperate attempt to spread word of Medivh’s evil, Aegwynn had an audience with King Llane. She warned him that Medivh was behind the Orcs and that he would eventually, have to be dealt with. Llane listened gratefully. Aegwynn, knowing that she had done all she could possibly do, watched the events unfold before her. She watched her son die, the fall of Blackhand and Gul’dan, and her last testament was a praise to the Alliance before she left to prepare herself for her death. (The book Cycle of Hatred discusses some of Aegwynn's backstory and fate.) Cycle of Hatred (Novel) After witnessing the fall of her son, Aegwynn evaded death's grasp. At some point of the proceedings above, Medivh stripped her of all remaining magic, but neglected to drain her anti-aging spells. Unraveling the spells, Aegwynn used them to teleport herself as far away as she possibly could: to the far side of Mulgore on Kalimdor. Aegwynn then built herself a small home in the hills near Ratchet, and grew a garden, to live out her life in solitude. Or so she thought. Aegwynn's magic was still effective enough to scry using her well. When Medivh died a few weeks later, she formulated a plan - she would save up her magic, piece by piece until she could bring back The Last Guardian. It took her 21 years, and again nearly cost her her life. But Medivh had returned. After his disappearance, Aegwynn again sought solitude, but was rudely interrupted by Jaina Proudmoore. Though Aegwynn was willing to assist Jaina in her attempt to relocate a herd of thunder lizards, she was annoyed by the deference Jaina showed her, and the continued use of the title "Magna." Shortly after Jaina's arrival, they were sealed in Aegwynn's home by familiar magic: Zmodlor's. After a well-timed escape, Jaina, Aegwynn and Jaina's colonel, Lorena, discovered Zmodlor had been freed and was now working to create a war between Durotar and Theramore. The trio confronted the demon, but Jaina was incapacitated by the warlocks. In a last desperate act to fulfill her duties as Guardian (which she had never shirked in the past) Aegwynn supplemented Jaina with her last source of magic: her own life. Against all conceivable odds, Aegwynn survived yet again. Declared by Theramore's surgeons to "have the constitution of an elf", she now serves as Lady Jaina's chamberlain and advisor, under an assumed name, to avoid any unwanted guests. Memorable Quotes * "Honestly, they don't teach you young mages anything these days. Violet Citadel's gone to pot, and that's the truth." * "Don't go calling me 'Magna.' That was another time and another place, and I'm not that woman anymore." * "I was facing dangers far worse than that little twerp of a demon when your great-grandparents were infants." World of Warcraft One of the realms in World of Warcraft is named after Aegwynn. *See: Realm Names and their place in Warcraft Lore Category:Lore Characters Category:Humans Category:Lore Category:Major characters